Shoot the Clocks
by StoryQuipster
Summary: Either he's experiencing an extreme case of déjà vu or something, really, really weird is happening to him.


**Shoot the Clocks**

* * *

_The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them._

—_John Powell_

* * *

Before he can say no, Juvia's fingers encircle his wrist and she drags him forward into the tent.

The moment they both step inside, a strong, citrusy scent immediately invades his nostrils. The lights are dim and gauzy and eerie, instrumental music plays in the background. At the center of the tent is an old lady wrapped in a bright, garish shawl, her face lined with wrinkles and her fingers encircled with shiny, heavy-looking rings. Upon seeing Juvia, she smiles and gestures at her to come closer.

He doesn't take another step forward. He answers Juvia's questioning look by telling her that he's fine and that she should go ahead. He doesn't believe in these kinds of things anyway. Granted, it's a little strange that he's skeptical of fortunetellers. He is an ice mage after all—he does and he's seen stranger, more unbelievable things. But from his experience, these carnival fortunetellers are nothing more than frauds who swindle money out of people by making dramatic guesses and correctly answering questions based on body language. And besides, being able to see the future is a very difficult craft—it takes a lifetime for one to perfect it. He's pretty sure that if this "fortuneteller" isn't a fraud, she wouldn't be working in this ridiculous carnival. They're highly wanted among guilds.

If Juvia really wants to have her future predicted, she can always ask Carla once they get back home to the guild. The Exceed can't predict _everything_ of course, but at least she won't be giving Juvia drivel. And it's also free. Better than paying a hundred jewels to listen to a fraud.

He should never have encouraged Juvia to indulge in this nonsense. He should have said no and insisted that they continue their way back into the train station. But he supposes that it's not really a big deal. They do have about five hours to kill. They have just finished a mission and all that's really left for them to do is to go home. But their train doesn't leave until seven and it's only a thirty minute walk from where they are from so he figures that it won't hurt to look around the carnival and spend a few minutes with the local fortuneteller.

(And okay fine, maybe it's also because he always feels like an ass whenever he denies something that will make Juvia happy.)

After about an hour and a half, he starts getting impatient. He's kind of hoping to check out more stalls and get some food. He tries to subtly tell Juvia this but she just tells him to go on without her and that they'll meet up somewhere. He would've gone and left too, but he isn't comfortable with the idea of leaving Juvia alone in this tent. The fortuneteller has been telling Juvia lie after lie; it's obvious that she's just telling Juvia things she wants to hear. He doesn't trust the fortuneteller— that crazy, old lady might try to swindle Juvia even more.

Suddenly, the fortuneteller leans forward and settles her gaze on him. She gives him a genial smile and says, "And how about you, young man? Wouldn't you like to get your fortunes told?"

Gray rolls his eyes. "I'm good, thank you."

"Come on Gray-sama! She's a really good fortuneteller. She's been very accurate so far. She answered all of Juvia's questions correctly!" Juvia excitedly says.

Gray shakes his head. "No thanks. You done yet, Juvia? I feel kind of hungry. I saw a stall selling caramade franks outside. Maybe we can get some."

"Okay, Gray-sama. But are you sure you don't want to ask the fortuneteller anything?" Juvia asks.

"Your friend has about ten minutes left of our session. It would be a shame for it to go to waste. She did pay for it after all. You are a non-believer yes, but why don't you just come and humor an old lady? Are you sure that there is nothing you wish to know?" the fortuneteller asks, her long, sharp fingernails tapping against the wooden table.

Gray's eyes narrow against her as he takes in her leathery, wrinkled face and sharp, grey eyes. Her lips are folded into a smirk, as if she is amused by his reaction. He folds his arms and snorts, "Nothing that you could tell me."

A slight dimple appears between Juvia's brows and her mouth puckers into a frown. "Gray-sama, Juvia thinks that you're being really rude to her. Juvia knows that you don't believe in these things but it's still not an excuse for you act this way towards the fortuneteller."

"It's alright, dear. He's a skeptic. I'm used to them. I'm not offended at all," the fortuneteller says as she gently pats Juvia's hand.

Gray blinks at Juvia in surprise as she continues to look at him with a slightly displeased expression. It's very rare that Juvia reprimands him over something. For as long as he's known her, it has only happened once or twice. It always unsettles him whenever she blatantly expresses her disapproval over something he does.

He nervously shifts in his place, feeling slightly guilty. Maybe she's right. Just because he doesn't believe in this crap doesn't mean he has the right to be an asshole to the old lady. And besides, Juvia probably won't let it go until he tries. They'll probably get on with things faster if he just sits down and listens through the entire prediction (bullshit).

"You're right," he tells her. Her frown disappears as her lips fold into a smile. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair as he gruffly says, ""I guess I can sit through a reading."

Juvia claps her hands together and stands up as she happily offers him her chair. "Yay! Don't worry Gray-sama! Juvia swears that it will be fun!"

He takes a seat and stares at the fortuneteller impatiently. She gives him an amused smile as her eyes silently sweep over his form. The two of them sit there in complete silence for a few minutes before she shakes her head and clucks her tongue. "You're a little difficult to read. I'm going to need the tea leaves for your reading. If you could just wait for a few moments..."

Gray leans back against the chair and dryly says, "Sure. Go on. Take your time."

"Gray-sama!" Juvia hisses.

He turns to look at her and shrugs, "What?"

The old woman stands up and starts hobbling towards one of the shelves. She sifts through all of the items, muttering something incomprehensible under her breath as she does so. Finally, she takes a small, porcelain jar, a cup and a teapot. With a great, heaving sigh, she settles back into her chair and gestures at Juvia to come closer.

"If you could please put some boiling water into this teapot..." she pleasantly says.

Juvia nods her head and politely replies, "Of course."

She steps towards them and with a gesture of her hands; she creates a steaming stream of water and carefully places it into the pot. The fortuneteller then opens the jar, takes a few tea leaves from it and places them on the cup. She then pushes the teapot towards Gray and says, "Now, I want you to pour some water into the cup."

"Do I have to think of a particular thing while I'm doing it?" he caustically quips.

He can feel Juvia's frown deepening but at this point he doesn't really care. This is absolutely pointless. They could be doing much more important things right now.

"No. Just you pouring the water is enough," she replies, completely unaffected with his irate behavior.

Gray loudly sighs and mutters under his breath, "This is stupid."

But he takes the teapot and pours the water into the cup, anyway. The sooner he gets this over with, the sooner he can eat. The fortuneteller takes the cup, swirls it around a bit before carefully draining it. Then, she peers at it in scrutiny.

"Hmm...you have a rather terrible past, don't you?" she comments.

Knowing about his past with Ur, Juvia's eyes widen and she gasps, thoroughly impressed. She gives Gray a smug, I-told-you-so look.

Gray just snorts.

Pssh.

It's a pretty generic statement that's applicable to almost everyone. Everyone has experienced tough times at one point or the other that will make their past terrible.

"And because of that, you have trouble letting people in. You push them away because you're afraid of what will happen when you allow them to get too close to you. You constantly conceal your feelings because you are afraid that if you allow yourself to give in to them, you might not be able to recover from the pain of losing those you care deeply about," she continues.

His brows draw together in slight annoyance. She's not exactly wrong and he hates that she's basically giving a blow by blow account of his personality. He doesn't like it when people discuss feelings, especially if it's _his_, because it makes him feel uncomfortable.

Still, his opinion of the fortuneteller being a fraud hasn't diminished in the slightest. How she knew about those things about him can be attributed purely to coincidence. He' sure.

"Everyone you have ever cared about has been taken away from you. Your parents. Your mentor. You don't want this to happen again. That is why you keep people at arm's length," she says, her voice becoming more and more ominous.

He stiffens in his place.

Impossible. She couldn't have known about Ur and Deliora.

It's a lucky guess, he stubbornly decides. That must be it.

From beside him, Juvia's triumphant expression slowly starts melting into one of worry. He has never really talked to her about Ur's death but he knows that Juvia is aware of how sensitive he feels about it. Her hand finds its way onto his shoulder and he looks up to see that she's giving him a worried, questioning look—almost as if she's asking him if he's okay. He forces himself to smile so that he can re-assure her that he's fine.

But he can't help but feel the spasm of anger that's slowly building up in his chest.

"That is your greatest flaw. If you don't tell people important to you how you really feel about them, you might lose them forever and it will be too late," the fortuneteller continues.

"This is ridiculous," he mutters, thoroughly annoyed. He's had enough of this bullshit. Who is she to judge him and to tell him what his greatest flaw is? She doesn't even know him.

He stands up and gruffly says, "This is a waste of time. Come on Juvia. Let's go."

He grabs Juvia by the wrist, turns around and starts stomping towards the exit.

"Heed my words, Gray Fullbuster!" the fortuneteller suddenly says.

Gray pauses in mid-step, a nasty chill creeping up his spine. He didn't even tell her, his full name.

Juvia must have mentioned it to her. During their session, she must have mentioned his name to the fortuneteller.

"Those who cannot learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them until they do," she says, standing up. A sudden intensity fills her eyes. "You are blind to the treasures that are right in front of you. If you are not careful...if you do not try to fix this blindness, you might lose someone you love very much without her knowing how you truly feel."

"Gray-sama..." Juvia worriedly says as she places a hand on his shoulder.

Gray quickly shrugs it off. He pulls her forward and says, his voice lined with a hard edge, "Whatever you say. Thanks for nothing, lady. This was a great way for me to waste my time!"

He storms out of the tent with Juvia in tow.

Once they are outside, Juvia immediately starts apologizing. "Gray-sama! Juvia is so sorry. She shouldn't have—''

"No, it's fine," he nonchalantly says.

"But, it's Juvia's fault that—''

"Juvia, it's okay. You don't have to apologize for anything," Gray quickly says. He stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Do you wanna get some caramade franks?"

Her response is cut off by the sound of thunder booming overhead. He looks up and sees that the sky is blanketed by thick, dark clouds. Streaks of lightning are flashing across it as great, big raindrops suddenly start splattering against them. A strong gust of wind blows across the entire fair, making the tents sway and move. Juvia looks up, a frown forming on her face.

"Looks like there's a storm brewing," Gray says as his hair, wet from the rain, sticks against his face. "That's weird. The weather seemed fine a while ago..."

"It is strange. Juvia didn't cause this," she says, her voice slightly defensive.

Gray places a hand on her shoulder and says, "Hey. It's okay. Nobody's blaming you..."

"Juvia thinks that we should go to the station instead of staying here. It's probably safer there—Gray-sama! Your clothes!" Juvia squeals as she gestures at his naked torso.

"Ack!" he cries out as he looks around in an attempt to find his clothes. He sees them, lying on the ground, sopping wet and half-caked with mud.

Before he can move forward to retrieve them, Juvia places a hand on his arm and says, "We should leave them there, Gray-sama. They aren't going to be of any use to you anyway. They are really wet. We can get you new clothes in the station. This storm seems dangerous."

"Okay," he half-yells over the roar of the wind.

Juvia fumbles for her umbrella and quickly opens it. She takes Gray's hand and although he stiffens in surprise at first, he moves closer and laces their fingers together. From across him, Juvia's face turns into a slight shade of pink.

"Come on Gray-sama," she says as she pulls him forward. "Let's get out of this storm."

The two of them make their way towards the main road. Mud splatters against his legs with every step he takes while Juvia struggles to keep her umbrella from being blown away. Juvia's hat nearly flies away and she makes a little noise as she grabs it and tightens her hold on it. Gray clamps a hand on her elbow as he leads her forward.

"We can't walk in this damn weather! I think we should take a carriage!" he says, the sound of the rain smacking against the ground nearly drowning out his voice.

Juvia nods her head. "Okay, Gray-sama!"

They stand by the side of the road, waiting for any empty carriages to pass by. Midway through, he can feel Juvia shivering in her place. He suddenly, irrationally wishes that he didn't strip his clothes off. He could have given her his jacket so that she can be warm.

An empty carriage comes into view from the opposite direction. Gray holds his hand out and the carriage stops in front of them. The driver sticks his head out of the window and says, "Where to?"

"Pines Town Train Station please," he replies.

The driver shakes his head. "No can do. I was on my way there myself to pick someone up. The road that leads to it is blocked by a landslide. It's going to take the city officials at least tomorrow afternoon before they can clear it out."

"Damn it!" Gray snarls. Juvia loudly sneezes and gives another shudder. He instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"You two got enough money? Best to stay here for night before trying your luck tomorrow. I could take you and your girl to the nearest hotel," the driver offers.

"She's not my—" He stops himself. Juvia's cold and tired and she really needs a place to rest. Explaining to the driver that she isn't his girlfriend will probably take up too much time. He mentally calculates all the jewels they have left. They have enough for a night's stay and maybe a couple of meals. They'll need to buy new clothes since he doesn't have any left and Juvia's are sopping wet. They hadn't brought extra clothes because they thought that they wouldn't need to stay the night in Pines. That will leave them with about thirty jewels left. A bit disappointing considering that they were paid a lot for this mission, but he supposes that it's fine.

As long as he and Juvia are safe, then nothing really matters. He nods his head at the driver. "Okay. Yeah, we have enough."

"Hop in," the driver says as he opens the passenger door.

Gray allows Juvia to get in first before slipping inside. He closes the door and leans against the backrest. Juvia loudly sneezes and he turns to look at her, concerned. "You okay, Juvia?"

She gives him a small smile and says, "Yes. Juvia is fine, Gray-sama. Are you okay with us spending the job money on a hotel?"

Gray shrugs. "Of course. It's not a big deal."

He leans forward and faces the driver. "How long until the nearest hotel?"

"Fifteen minutes, give or take. You seemed a bit under dressed for this weather, eh?" the driver conversationally says.

Gray looks at his bare torso and boxers. He flushes as Juvia giggles and says, "He's always like that."

She gives another sneeze.

Gray places an arm around her and pulls her closer, trying to get her warm. For once, she doesn't turn into a stuttering, blushing mess. She merely shifts her weight and buries her head onto his shoulders. He stiffens at the contact (because honestly, when he placed an arm around her, he had just been planning to comfort her), but after a few seconds, he relaxes.

"Wake me up when we get there, okay Gray-sama?" she mumbles as her eyelids start drooping.

Grya nods his head. "Okay."

"That's some girl you have there. She's very cute," the driver comments as Gray's cheeks become unbearably warm.

"Er..."

"Don't ever take her for granted. Always cherish her," the driver seriously says. "She seems like she's really something."

Gray's eyes take in the way her blue hair falls against her smooth, pale skin and he grunts when he realizes that he's staring. He shifts her into a position that will make him more comfortable before gruffly mumbling, "Yeah."

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

He wakes up to the sound of Juvia singing.

He yawns as he tries to blink away the grogginess, sits up and tilts his head towards the window. The storm is already gone. Sunlight is filtering through the glass panes and the sky is clear and bright. He smiles, glad that the storm has passed. They really can't afford to stay another night in this town—they're already running low on jewels from spending them on the hotel and some extra clothes. He stretches in his place, marveling at how their luck has turned.

He feels really great. It's surprising really, how well he slept last night. When he and Juvia had arrived here, the power was gone and the clothes shop was jam packed. It was exhausting. He's happy that things are looking up today. The storm has passed and hopefully, the roads will have been cleared. They'll probably be in Fiore before the afternoon hits. He really feels like today is going to be one of those days where everything goes right. He just knows it. Not even the memory of that god-awful fortunetelling session can ruin his good mood.

"Good morning Gray-sama," Juvia says, snapping him out of his thoughts. She's sitting by the dresser, cheerfully brushing her hair. Instead of her usual coat and Cossack hat, she's wearing a blue, little dress with tiny straps. He figures that her regular clothes aren't dry yet. She didn't really like the dress but it was the only thing available in the hotel's souvenir shop that was in her size. Everything else had been bought by guests who were as soaked as they were.

"You're up early," he says as he grabs a shirt and a towel.

She pins a lock of her hair back and says, "The sun woke Juvia up. She's happy that the storm has passed."

Despite himself, he returns the grin on her face. He knows that she was a little down last night because the storm reminded her about the times when she couldn't control the rain. She sat by the window with her chin propped against her knees and stared at the violent drops of water splattering against the ground. When he tried to cheer her up by suggesting that they get some hot chocolate, she forced a smile and said yes. She tried to act chipper but he knew that she was still feeling bothered.

He's happy that she's feeling better today. He slings the towel over his shoulder and says, "That's good. Did I wake up too late?"

She shakes her head. "No. Just in time. The next train to Fiore will leave in three hours. Plenty of time for us to get there."

"I hope that they've cleared the roads by then."

Juvia grins at him and says, "Oh yes, they did. Juvia went to the front desk this morning and they told her that the roads have already been cleared."

"Great. I'll just take a quick bath and then, we can be on our way," he says as he enters the bathroom.

He takes a shower really quickly, changes into a shirt and pants and steps outside. They double check the room to make sure that they haven't left anything before heading to the hotel lobby to pay for their room. They're about halfway down the front steps when a man pushes past Juvia, roughly hitting her on the shoulder. She stumbles backwards as the man continues on his way, as if nothing has happened.

Gray helps Juvia up, thoroughly annoyed. He waspishly snaps, "Hey! Asshole! Why don't you come back here and apologize!?"

The man briefly looks at Gray but before he can say anything, Juvia places a hand on his chest and says, "It's okay, Gray-sama. It was an accident. Juvia's fine."

He frowns at her. "But—''

"Come on. Let's go," Juvia says as she pulls him forward.

The entire trip to the station is uneventful. They manage to get there in record time. After securing tickets, the two of them stay by the platform, chatting about nothing in particular as they wait for their train. Eventually, the train comes grinding into a halt and he and Juvia step inside and pick the first empty compartment they see.

They sit opposite from each other and Juvia stuffs the bag full of her wet clothes underneath her seat. As the train starts moving, Gray makes a comment about how hungry he is. Juvia smiles at him and tells him that she'll go and call a waitress so that they can order some food.

A few minutes later, she comes back with an elderly waitress in tow. Juvia sits back down while the waitress leans against the compartment door, hands them the menus and says, "Good morning. What would you two like to order?"

Gray puts the menu he's been examining down and says, "Two eggs and some toast please."

He turns to look at Juvia and says, "What about you?"

"Oh, Juvia will just have some—Ah!"

The bottle of ketchup on table clatters to the floor as her elbow accidentally bumps it. Juvia's face reddens and she immediately grabs some tissues as she attempts to wipe the ketchup off the floor.

"Juvia is so sorry," she squeals as she attempts to clean it up.

"No worries, sweetheart. Here, let me," the waitress kindly says.

"Juvia, it's okay. She's got it," Gray says as he places a hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"Just go on and sit back down," the waitress says as she places a hand on Juvia's shoulder and slowly guides her back to the chair. She gives Juvia a genial smile. "Now, why don't you tell me what your order is?"

"Juvia will just have some tea please," Juvia says. "The Earl Grey one."

"Alright, dear. I'll be back in a couple of minutes," the waitress says as she exits their compartment.

As soon as she leaves, Gray leans back against his seat and sighs, "I'm so glad that the storm's gone. It was pretty weird huh? It was as if it just showed up out of nowhere and just as suddenly disappeared."

A serious look crosses Juvia's face. "Yes. It was strange. Juvia doesn't know why but it felt...it didn't feel natural."

"How so?"

"Juvia knows what magically-induced rain feels like. She's had to live with it for years. But the storm didn't last so Juvia thinks that it's not really as big of a deal as she thought," she says with a shrug.

"Well. I'm just glad that we're finally going home," Gray says.

She suddenly starts chewing on her bottom lip and twiddling her thumbs. A crease appears in between Gray's brows when he sees the sudden shift in Juvia's expression.

"What's wrong?" he says.

When she speaks, the words come out in stutters, "It's just that...Juvia feels really bad. If she didn't insist on meeting up with the fortuneteller, then she and Gray-sama wouldn't have been stranded in Pines Town. Now we spent almost all our reward money and—''

Gray interrupts her. "Juvia, it's okay. I don't mind losing some jewels. I have some spare cash back at home anyway."

Whatever she is about to say to him is cut off by the sounds of screaming. Gray and Juvia immediately stand up as a several loud pops suddenly start echoing across the entire train. He opens their compartment door and the two of them start hurtling across the train halls as they try to make sense of what is happening.

Before they can get to the passenger coaches, a man with a handkerchief wrapped around his mouth steps in front of him, a gun in his hand. A man behind him is wearing a mask.

"Who are you?" Gray hisses.

"Who do you think?" the man breezily says. "We're here to hijack the train. Step aside and quietly follow our commands and we won't hurt you."

He tilts his head to the side and openly leers at Juvia. After a moment's pause he says, "Or your girl."

The tips of Gray's fingers start frosting over. "Sorry, but I don't follow orders so easily. Ice Make—''

Before he can finish, the man raises his hand and points the gun at him. A loud pop rings in his ears. Gray's eyes widen as he stiffens in place, unable to react. Shit. Why isn't he doing anything? He's going to die—

He hears someone screaming his name as something heavy pushes him against the wall. His eyes wildly scan the entire area as he tries to make sense of what has happened. He frowns when he feels something wet seeping through his shirt. Is he bleeding? But if he is, then why doesn't he feel any pain?

The man looms over him, his mouth curved into a wicked smile. "Consider this as a warning, kid. Fuck with us again and you'll end up like your girlfriend."

Girlfriend?

He hears someone whimper and it's only then that he realizes that his being pinned to the ground by something heavy that is sprawled on his lap. He looks down and—

_No_.

"Juvia!" he says, his voice cracking.

Her eyes are clouding over and her complexion is rapidly paling. Her breathing is labored and uneven. Blood is seeping through her chest and slowly staining her dress. His trembling fingers immediately reach out to brush the locks of hair away from her face. Her skin feels cold, as if the heat has been drained from it.

Her fingers suddenly clamp onto his wrists. "Gray-sama...you're okay. Juvia...Juvia wasn't able to...change into her water form..."

He cups her cheek with his hand, gently directing her unfocused eyes to his. "Why did you do that?"

A deep, wet rattle escapes from her chest as she gives a shaky cough. She gives him a pained, faint smile. Her voice is surprisingly strong when she says, "Isn't it obvious, Gray-sama?"

The temperature in the air suddenly drops radically. Gray carefully shifts Juvia so that her head is resting against his shoulders. He can feel the rage building up inside him, hot and fast. Those bastards. They will pay for this. He'll kill them. He looks up but they are already gone.

Fuckers.

He'll find them. He'll find them and then he will kill them. Slowly and painfully.

"Don't worry Juvia. I'll get you somewhere safe and then..." he trails off when he sees that her chest is no longer rising and falling. Her body is limp and still. Her eyes are empty, vacant.

She's gone.

It's over.

No. It can't be.

It can't be true.

Juvia's a strong mage. She can survive anything. She can't truly be gone. This isn't how things are supposed to go. They are supposed to go home. Back to Fiore. She can't possibly be—He doesn't allow himself to finish that train of thought.

"Juvia? Oi, Juvia! Wake up!" the words come out of his mouth in an angry scream. Tears start leaking from the corner of his eyes. The walls around them are suddenly enveloped in frost.

She doesn't reply.

She doesn't do anything.

She's dead.

She's dead, he repeats inside his head. He presses his ear against her chest, hoping to hear her heartbeat.

Nothing.

He gives an angry, anguished scream as the frost starts spreading everywhere. Spikes of ice appear everywhere and the room's temperature drops below zero. From afar, he can hear the sound of surprised shouts.

And then, he does nothing.

He feels nothing.

He stays there, with her head on his shoulder, cradling her body, not moving. He doesn't say anything, not even when the train stops. Not even when a man in a uniform comes towards him to tell him that they've captured the hijackers and that if he'll just please come with them so that he can answer a few questions. Not even when they take him to a room where all of the other train victims are. Not even when they take Juvia away from him.

When they do, he just looks at her dead, limp form, unable to process anything that has just happened.

She's gone. She's gone forever. Just like his parents. Just like Ur.

He still doesn't speak. Not even when they try to ask him questions about what had happened. Not even when they ask him if he wants to go back to the guild, saying that they figured out that he's from Fairy Tail because of his guild stamp. Not even when they put him in a carriage and drop him off in the guild where they quickly announce to everyone that Juvia is dead and that they can claim the body tomorrow after preliminary investigations are over ("And the boy over here, he seems to be in shock."). Not even when one by one, everyone starts crying or weeping loudly. Not even when Gajeel hurtles towards him, pins him against the ground and punches him repeatedly on the face, screaming that he's an asshole who has failed to protect her.

It's only after Erza, Natsu and Lucy bring him home and place a blanket around him that it really sinks in. She's dead. She's never coming back.

Juvia died so he could live. Just one more person who sacrificed herself for him. One more person to add to his body count.

Frost envelops his entire apartment and he starts screaming. He wants to punch something, preferably those assholes who killed her. It takes all of his friends' strength to pin him back and stop him from doing anything stupid.

"_Go away!"_ he viciously yells as he tries to stand up.

Lucy places a blanket around him while Natsu gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Erza wraps him in a shaky hug, whispering that it's going to be okay. That he should sleep because things will be better in the morning.

(Even though it will never be. Not anymore. Not when she's gone.)

He drifts off and falls asleep to the sound of Erza's crying.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

He wakes up with an abrupt start.

That's Juvia's voice.

Gray stiffens as he buries his head deeper into the pillow. But that's impossible. Juvia is...He gives a muffled groan as his hands fists the blankets tightly. He can't even think about it without wanting to scream or punch something. He can feel tears pressing from the back of his eyes. Last night was the worst night of his life. It was even worse than when Ur had died. Most of his dreams were peppered with images of Juvia's death—he had replayed it again and again, trying to pick apart all of the events leading up to it, trying to figure out where he went wrong. She was just there, right behind him and he had let her slip away.

She's gone.

He can't even imagine a life without her. She's always just been there.

And fuck, she's still singing. Why is she still singing? He sighs, the tears leaking from the corner of his eyes. Why is he even surprised? His entire night was filled with dreams of her calling out to him, screaming at him to save her. It probably isn't much of a stretch that he's hallucinating.

It doesn't matter.

In fact, he actually welcomes it.

Hearing her voice, even if it's imaginary, is better than never hearing it again at all.

Suddenly, two small hands press up against his shoulders. "Gray-sama? Wake up. We are going to be late."

He can feel hope rising up from his chest. Then, just as quickly as it had come, he tries to crush it down. He's being ridiculous.

She's dead.

"Gray-sama? Juvia is sorry to disturb your sleep. But if we don't leave right now, we're going to miss the train."

What the hell is happening?

Hearing her voice is one thing, but for the hallucination to actually talk to him is a completely, different, crazier thing.

"What!?" he screeches, desperate to banish the hallucination away.

The tether in his chest snaps when he sees her face. She's standing in front of him, half of her hair pinned to the sides and her hands clasped on her front. Her eyes are wide, almost as if she's frightened and her bottom lip is quivering—it's the expression she always sports whenever she's sad or disappointed.

"J-Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama. But s-she just t-thought that you wouldn't want to miss the train," she mumbles, her cheeks reddening.

He blinks at her once, unable to make himself believe that she's standing right in front of him.

She's dead. He saw it himself.

"Juvia?" Her name comes out in a whisper.

"Yes, Gray-sama? Are you...you mad at Juvia?" she mumbles, her eyes falling to the ground.

"But...but..."

"Gray-sama. Juvia knows you are tired but if we don't leave now—''

"What day is it today?" he abruptly asks her.

"Tuesday," Juvia says, confused.

It's still Tuesday? But that can't be right. Yesterday was Tuesday. He shakily stands up, his eyes locking with hers. His eyes sweep over her form, taking in her pale, white cheeks and cerulean hair, her wide, bright eyes, the skinny straps of her dress. She can't possibly be real. She's dead. He takes a step towards her, his fingers immediately reaching out to brush against her right cheek.

The result is instantaneous.

She gives a surprised squeak, her cheeks turning into a violent shade of red. A dreamy, vacant look crosses her eyes. "G-Gray-sama?"

"Juvia...is that...is that really you?" he says.

"Er—''

He pulls her forward into a bone-crushing hug. She gives a surprised gasp, her shoulders stiff as he wraps his arms around her. Fuck. She's real. _She's real_. She's not dead. It was all just a dream. A stupid, horrible dream. None of it happened.

All of the grief he's been holding back comes spilling out.

His voice comes out in a croak. "Juvia. Fuck...I thought you were..."

Her lips, which had been pulled up into a smile, folds into a worried frown. She leans back and examines the expression on his face. "Gray-sama? What's wrong? Do you need Juvia to get you something?"

She looks at him in concern. He thickly swallows, trying to compose himself. The last thing he needs is Juvia seeing him break down over nothing. He takes several deep calming breaths before straightening his shoulders and saying (in an uneven voice), "Nothing. Nothing. I just had a really bad dream and...never mind. It's nothing. I'm just really happy you're here."

She gives him a sweet smile as she places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm always here, Gray-sama."

He nervously clears his throat as he desperately tries to keep himself from doing something stupid. He wants stick his head out of the window and scream, "She's alive!" But that will probably be too strange. Judging from the confused looks in Juvia's eyes, he figures that she has already been sufficiently freaked out.

"I just feel...really good today," he weakly says. He rolls some of the tension in his shoulders away. "I'll just take a quick shower and then we can go."

He steps underneath the shower, happily humming as he scrubs himself. When he finishes, they double check the room really quickly before going downstairs to the lobby to pay for their room. Juvia keeps looking at him with a strange look on her face, thoroughly confused by his sudden good mood. His upbeat attitude however, is interrupted when a man accidentally bumps against Juvia while they are walking down the stairs.

He freezes, mid-step. He could have sworn that, that had happened yesterday.

"Like yesterday..." he mutters under his breath.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia says, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He blinks at her and realizes that she has already gotten up.

"What's wrong Gray-sama?" Juvia says as she takes a step closer towards him.

"Nothing. Just had a really...weird case of déjà vu," he hastily says as he scrubs a dry hand through his face. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Did he—''

"Juvia's okay Gray-sama. It was just an accident. Come on. Let's go," Juvia says as she grabs him by the hand and pulls him forward.

He spends the entire trip to the station feeling unbalanced and off-center. He nods along to whatever Juvia is saying, not really paying attention. What's happening has to be more than a coincidence. The good mood he's been feeling slowly starts melting into one of fear and paranoia. Either he's experiencing an extreme case of déjà vu or something, really, really weird is happening to him.

"Gray-sama? Are you hungry? Do you want me to find a waitress so that we can order some food?" Juvia asks him.

He's in the train already? When did that happen?

He rubs the spot between his brows, thoroughly disoriented. Juvia is staring at him with a worried look on her face.

"Yes...yeah," he mumbles.

He watches her stand up and walk out of the compartment door. He looks at the window, feeling slightly edgy. Something is very, very wrong.

Juvia comes back a few minutes later with the same, elderly waitress from yesterday. He tries to remain as calm as he can as the woman asks for their order. He just had a really vivid dream and somehow, all of the people in his dream are here today. It's just a strange coincidence. Nothing more.

"Sir? What would you like to order?" the waitress says as she peers at him with a strange look.

"Oh...er...right. Um...two eggs and some toast," he mumbles without looking at the menu.

The waitress then turns to look at Juvia. She rests her hip against the table and says, "And how about you sweetheart?"

"Oh, Juvia will just have some—Ah!"

Gray stiffens as the bottle of ketchup clatters to the floor. That happened yesterday too.

"Juvia is so sorry," she says as she gets on her knees and starts cleaning everything up with wads of tissue.

"No worries, sweetheart. Here, let me," the waitress kindly says.

Gray stays, frozen in his place as he vaguely listens to Juvia and the waitress carrying on with their conversation. He restlessly fiddles with the hem of his shirt as he tries to justify this entire situation. It's just a coincidence. Nothing bad is going to happen today.

He jumps when a hand suddenly covers his own. He looks up to meet Juvia's worried eyes. "Gray-sama...are you sure you are okay?"

He quickly takes his hand back and starts adjusting his collar. He hastily mumbles, "Yes. I'm fine. Why?"

"It's just that...you've been acting...strange today," Juvia says.

"How so?" he says, trying to keep his voice even. Every muscle in his body is singing with tension.

"Well, you seem so absentminded. Just now, the waitress had to ask you for your order three times. And on our way here, you bumped into at least three persons. Juvia is really worried," she says.

"No, I'm okay. I'm fine. Really," he says in a re-assuring voice.

"But..a while ago, you said that you were feeling good. And now, you're breaking out in cold sweat—Gray-sama! Your clothes!" Juvia says, her face coloring as he looks down to see that he's wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Shit! How did that happen—''

A series of loud pops suddenly erupt from the outside. The screams of people start resonating from the hallways. Without thinking about it, he stands up and opens the compartment door. Juvia follows closely behind him, her brows pulled together in alarm and confusion.

Shit.

Juvia.

"Stay here!" he barks at her.

"But Gray-sama—''

"Stay here and don't move. Don't leave until I come and get you," he tells her, his voice firm.

"Juvia refuses to leave you, Gray-sama!" Juvia declares.

"Juvia...promise me that you won't leave," Gray says as he grabs her by the shoulders. He can hear the screams growing louder.

"Juvia is sorry. But she won't allow Gray-sama to do this on his own! He might get hurt!" Juvia stubbornly says.

"Juvia. Trust me. Please," Gray pleads.

She bites at her bottom lip in contemplation.

He doesn't wait for her answer.

He pushes her towards the chair, shuts the compartment door and seals the edges of it with his ice. He hurtles across the hallways, ignoring Juvia's protests. He'll just have to deal with the hijackers and make sure that they don't hurt anyone, all while Juvia is safe behind their compartment. He isn't going to let anything happen to her. Not this time.

He encounters one of them across the hallway, the one who wore a mask. He doesn't even take the time to think about it. In three quick movements, he makes an ice lance and stabs the masked man in the gut. The man gives a strangled cry as he crumples to the ground. Gray sidesteps him and hurries towards the passenger coaches.

"Nobody move or the kid gets it!"

Gray pauses, his anger returning in full force. That's the asshole who had killed Juvia.

He stomps towards the passenger coach, ready to stab the bastard in the chest when someone suddenly taps his shoulder. He whirls around and his spine chills when he sees that it is Juvia.

"Damn it! Juvia! I told you to stay in our compartment!" he hisses, frustrated.

Juvia gives him a fierce glare. "Who is Gray-sama to tell Juvia what she can and cannot do?"

He blinks once at her, taken aback by the sharp edge in her voice. It takes him several seconds before he manages to compose himself enough to give a reply. "Juvia, this is for your own good! Now, go back to the compartment and wait—''

"No! Juvia is only trying to help Gray-sama! Juvia doesn't want anything bad to happen to you and she thinks that it's unfair of you to talk to her in this manner when she only has your best interests in her heart! Juvia is not an idiot! She knows that something is wrong! She doesn't want you going in there without back-up! Stop acting as if she is incompetent!" She is saying everything in a low whisper but her voice is steadily rising with every word.

"Okay...okay. I'm sorry. But I won't allow you in here. Juvia, you have to trust me. It's not safe for you to be here!" He glares at her, annoyed and fed-up with her stubbornness. Can't she see that he's just trying to protect her? "Now isn't the time for you to be arguing with me!"

Juvia frowns at him and stabs his chest with her finger. "Juvia will not leave and abandon Gray-sama. And Gray-sama should stop acting like such a _baka_ because Juvia is only trying to help!"

"I know that—''

"Who the fuck is in there?" a voice booms. Gray and Juvia turn around to find the man carrying the gun in his hands looking at them.

Gray instinctively raises his ice lance while Juvia holds her arms up in a fighting stance. Upon seeing their weapons, the man aims the gun at one of the kids huddled in a corner.

"Move and the kid will get it," he hisses.

Gray resolutely glares at him. "Do it and I'll—''

The next few things happen so fast. He cocks the gun and squeezes the trigger. Several people scream all at once. Before he can react, something shoves him out of the way. As he slams against the wall, he sees a blue blur rushing towards the kid.

A loud pop resounds across the entire room.

Screams erupt from everywhere.

"_NO_!" the word comes out of his mouth in an angry, bitter yell.

Frost starts creeping up from the spot where he had been all the way to the rest of the floor and the walls. He hurries towards Juvia pushing and shoving anyone who comes in his way. The man with the gun attempts to block him but Gray grabs him by the scruff of his collar and violently smashes his head against the floor. Blood escapes from his mouth. The screams grow louder. He makes another ice lance and thrusts it against the man's chest.

He then skids across the floor, slick with ice, and lands on his knees beside her. The kid she had protected whimpers under his breath. He shoves the kid to the side, ignoring his cries of pain as he bumps against the wall.

When she looks up at him with glossy eyes, he can feel himself growing numb. His chest feels as if someone has reached inside and squeezed his lungs uncomfortably. She gives him a weak smile as he runs his hand through her hair.

"No," he chokes out. "No. It isn't supposed to end like this. I was supposed to protect you. It was just a dream!"

Her hand finds his and she squeezes it. "Are you...are you okay Gray-sama?"

"Yes," he says as he places a hand on her cheek. He recoils at how clammy it is. "Hold on, Juvia. Please. Hold on. I'm going to fix this. Everything will be better. I promise..."

"How about...how about the boy? Did...did Juvia get there in time?" Juvia sputters, her voice weak.

"Yes. He's fine. Hang on. Come on, Juvia. Look at me. Keep your eyes on me..." He trails off when he sees her eyelids drooping.

She leans into his touch. "Didn't Juvia already tell you? I'm always here, Gray-sama."

The temperature in the room drops lower as the weak beats of her heart slow down. She's dying. Again. This isn't a dream. This is really happening. He wasn't able to stop it. It's his fault that she's dead. If they didn't argue, the man might have not seen him and she wouldn't have gotten herself killed.

He presses his forehead against hers.

He can't believe that he let her slip away.

She was right there and he had let her slip away.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

Gray sits up in his bed, blinking the grogginess away. His eyes quickly sweep over the room, immediately locking in on Juvia's figure. She is sitting by the dresser, cheerfully brushing her hair. Just like yesterday.

He frantically stands up, his insides churning. He doesn't even bother asking for the date. He knows that today is Tuesday. Just like yesterday was. For some reason, he's repeating the same day over and over again. For once, he doesn't even take the time to over analyze it. There's no other explanation for what is happening to him. He's caught in some sort of loop. His fingers clumsily fumble for the towel as he hurries towards the bathroom.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia says, confused by his rattled behavior.

He takes a deep breath as he tries to force himself to be calm. No sense in freaking her out. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" she asks in a worried voice.

"Yes. Of course. Just excited to go home," he says in an even tone. Before she can say anything else, he quickly steps inside of the bathroom.

As he turns the shower on and starts scrubbing himself he tries to go over all of the facts. What's the one thing both Tuesdays have in common?

The hijackers.

(And Juvia dying but he doesn't really want to think about it. In fact, he won't even allow a sliver of the thought to cross his mind.)

He's supposed to save the train. That must be it.

If he can just stop those hijackers from taking over the train, then the loop will stop and he will be able to save Juvia. But he can't do it on his own. Both times he's tried to do it and both times have resulted in Juvia dying. Obviously, he's going to have to rely on outside help. He doesn't like the idea but he's going to have to inform the authorities and hope that they'll be able to sort things out.

It sounds like a good plan to him.

When he finishes showering, he takes Juvia by the hand and ignores the questioning looks on her face. They head to the lobby and quickly pay for their room. As they head down the stairs, Gray grabs her arm and pulls Juvia to the side, just as a man is about to bump into her.

"Thank you Gray-sama!" she happily chirps as they head towards the train station.

"No problem," he mutters as he tries to remain as focused as he possibly can.

Today's going to be different.

He's going to make sure that it will be.

When they both get to the train station, Gray places a hand on Juvia's shoulder and says, "Go ahead. I need to go to the comfort room."

Juvia frowns at him. "But there is a comfort room in the train—''

"Well, I really need to go. _Now_," he gruffly interrupts.

Her eyes flash with hurt and guilt sweeps over him when he realizes that he's being very rude. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and mumbles, "Just go on. I'll be fine."

She gives him one more look before making her way to the train. When he sees that she's safely inside, he rushes over towards the office and immediately starts explaining everything he knows about the hijackers. The train authorities waste several minutes asking really stupid questions but they manage to do exactly what Gray wanted them to do in the end. After doing a perimeter check of the train station and apprehending the hijackers, the authorities immediately haul them into the nearest holding cell.

Gray makes sure that each and every hijacker is caught before heading towards the train compartment where Juvia is sitting in. When he steps inside, he has a smug, satisfied look on his face. He can feel some of the tension in his shoulders rolling away.

He did it.

He managed to stop them.

"Juvia is happy to see the you feel better now Gray-sama," Juvia says as he takes a seat. She sounds cheerful enough but he can detect the hint of worry in her voice.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" he says as he furrows his brows at her.

"Juvia's just worried that Gray-sama is mad at her," she mumbles as she looks down at her lap.

Gray blinks at her. "What? Why would I be mad at you!?"

"Well, you did seem a little irritated on our way here—''

"Oh. Well that's just because I needed to take a piss," Gray quickly says. The train starts moving.

"Oh." Her lips widen into smile. "Well, then Juvia is happy that Gray-sama got what he wanted!"

She giggles a little and he can feel himself smiling. She then leans forward and says, her voice a whisper, "Did you hear about the hijackers?"

"Yeah but you don't have to worry about that anymore," Gray says as he leans against his chair. "The train authorities already had all of them arrested."

"That's a relief," Juvia says. She stands up and presses her palms against the skirt of her dress. "Are you hungry Gray-sama? Juvia will call a waitress so we can order food."

He nods his head. "Sure. Go on. I'll just wait here."

As Juvia slips out of the door, he leans back and closes his eyes. Finally. This nightmare will be over and he can get on with his life. He and Juvia will go home and this won't ever happen again—

He gives a startled cry as he stumbles forward. A loud, painful screech echoes across the entire train followed by several screams. Another jolt occurs followed by the sounds of metals groaning against something and glasses breaking. He slides across the floor as the entire compartment room tilts to the side.

Gray stands up, nearly falling as another jolt occurs.

The glass in their compartment is already broken.

The screams grow louder.

Sounds of metal groaning and banging against something resound against the entire train.

His spine chills.

Something's happening to the train.

Something bad.

Fuck.

Juvia.

He slides the compartment door open only to be shoved back inside by a waitress. "Please sir, keep calm and step inside. Unfortunately, there has been some miscommunication and a head on collision has occurred. If you could please just—''

"Get out of my way! I need to find my friend—''

Smoke starts filling the air.

"Sir, please keep calm. We're trying our best to—''

"Is the rest of the train okay?" Gray urgently asks.

Her eyes mist over and her calm demeanor cracks. Gray suddenly realizes that her hair is in disarray and there's a cut on her arm. She chokes out, "No. The passenger coach has been completely totaled. The driver managed to stop the train in time to keep the other coaches from being damaged but—''

He pushes her out of the way.

He tears across the damaged hallways, trying to remain as calm as possible. He ignores the sound of people screaming and attendants telling him to stop running.

"Juvia! Juvia!" His voice comes out strained.

No.

No.

This can't be happening.

Not again.

"Juvia! Juvia—''

He sees her, half-crushed against a pile of debris and glass. He frantically starts pulling her out, ignoring the way the glass is cutting through his palms. When he finally pulls her whole body out, he gingerly places her on his lap. Her breathing is labored and her eyes are closed. He grips her hand and her eyes flutter open.

When their eyes meet, she doesn't say anything.

"Medic! Where are the fucking medics!" he angrily yells.

She squeezes his hand and gives him a weak smile. Frost starts enveloping the room. She isn't going to make it. Again.

He presses his forehead to hers and tries to ignore the blood that is roaring through his ears.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

When he wakes up to Juvia's singing for the fourth time, he feels strangely calm. The loop still hasn't stopped. But at least Juvia isn't dead. He sits up and furrows his brows as he tries to piece together where he went wrong. He stopped the hijackers. That should have stopped the loop. That was the common link.

"Juvia!" he says with a start. The hijackers aren't the common link. Juvia is.

"Gray-sama?" she says, pausing from her brushing.

"Nothing. Just...um...just don't mind me. I'll take a shower." He gets up, grabs a towel and heads to the bathroom. He needs to keep Juvia alive for this day. If he can do that, then the loop will be broken. She'll be alive and everything will be okay.

As soon as he finishes showering, he and Juvia pay for their room and head outside.

"Juvia?"

"Yes, Gray-sama?"

"Let's not leave today," he says. Obviously, they are not meant to leave this town today. The train they've been riding is cursed. If it isn't the hijackers, then it's a stupid train crash. He's not going to be taking any chances. Maybe he and Juvia can stay in this town and walk around for the rest of the day. See the tourist spots. Relax.

And hopefully, by the end of the day, she won't be dead and the loop will be broken.

"But why? We've finished the mission and we don't have any more jewels—''

She stumbles backwards as a man crashes against her shoulder.

Gray's temper, which has already been dangerously teetering over the edge, snaps. He angrily yells, "Hey! Asshole! Why don't you come back here and apologize!?"

The man turns to look at Gray while Juvia struggles to get up. "Gray-sama—''

"What did you say dipshit?" the man says as he starts barreling towards them.

Gray squares his shoulders and glares at him. "Why don't you apologize to my friend over here for hitting her?"

"She was in my way," he responds through gritted teeth.

"No. You weren't watching where you were going. She could have been seriously hurt," Gray bristles.

"Gray-sama, please. It was just an accident," Juvia says as she tries to come in between them.

"Stay out of this Juvia," Gray snaps.

"I'm not going to apologize," the man stubbornly says.

"Well, what if I'm going to make you—''

"Fine! Come at me then—''

"Gray-sama—''

"Stay out of this sweetheart!" The man says as he shoves Juvia out of the way. Before Gray can react, Juvia suddenly stumbles, thrown off balance by the unexpected force. Before he can catch her, she lurches down the stairs and lands at the bottom. Her head slams against the pavement.

He hears something crack.

He rushes over towards her, his hands quickly sweeping over her pallid face. He doesn't feel a pulse. She's dead.

Vaguely, he registers people crowding around them and the man stepping next to Gray, crying and profusely apologizing.

Gray just tucks a lock of loose hair behind Juvia's ear. He can't do this anymore. He can't watch her die again. If he keeps this up, he's going to break eventually.

He closes his eyes and tries to ignore how cold and clammy Juvia feels.

Damn it.

They didn't even make it to the station this time.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

Gray tries to stifle a groan as he rolls over his bed. It's Tuesday. _Again_. He can't go through with this. He can't watch Juvia die again. He lies in his bed, trying to figure out how to break the loop. He goes over yesterday's events trying to figure out where he went wrong. They can't go to the train because it will somehow be hijacked or derailed. They can't go out either. Something wrong is bound to happen. Like yesterday, he and Juvia were just going down the stairs and she fell and...

He decides to end that train of thought before he becomes too upset.

"Gray-sama?"

He feels two small hands pressing against his shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

"Gray-sama? Juvia is sorry to disturb your sleep. But if we don't leave right now, we're going to miss the train."

He opens his eyes and despite himself, his lips curve into a smile when he sees her face. Her hair is falling against her cheeks in soft waves and her mouth is quirked into a little smile. She looks alive—so different from the pale and clammy (and dead) person he's been holding on to for four days straight.

He's going to keep it that way.

He's going to do everything in his power to make sure that she'll make it through this day.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia says again.

It takes him five seconds before he realizes that he's staring.

"Oh. Juvia! Good morning!" he says as he sits up.

"Did Juvia disturb you? Juvia is so sorry. But if we don't go now, we'll miss our train," Juvia says, a slightly worried look crossing her face.

"You know what, Juvia? What's the hurry? Let's not go yet! Let's stay here for one more day! This place is pretty awesome," he hastily says.

Her lips pull into a confused frown. "Er...Gray-sama...it's not that Juvia doesn't want to stay here. It's just that...we don't have any more jewels and—''

"Don't worry! I think we have enough for one more night's stay!" he interjects.

"But—''

"I'm just a little tired, okay? I kind of want to relax today instead of spending several hours in a train, travelling," Gray desperately says.

Juvia chews her bottom lip in contemplation before saying, "Well...okay. Do you want to go around town or—''

"_No_! Let's just...let's just stay here," Gray quickly says.

Juvia gives him a confused look before shrugging her shoulders and saying, "Okay!"

A dreamy look suddenly crosses her face. "Juvia's happy to be spending the whole day with Gray-sama _alone_!"

He smiles at her, completely undeterred as she goes on into one of her crazy, insane imagination-spiels. He can go through that for one whole day. In fact, he'll go through _anything_ as long as she'll be alive and safe. He'll do anything for her.

He freezes, a little taken aback by his own assertion.

_Anything_.

He has never realized how far he's willing to go for Juvia.

She's that important to him.

"Oh, Juvia will just be in the bathroom for awhile. She needs to get her lotion," Juvia says as she jerks a thumb towards the bathroom.

"Okay. Yeah. Sure," Gray says as Juvia slips into the bathroom.

He loiters in his bed for a few minutes before standing up and searching through the drawers of the bedside tables. If he and Juvia will be staying here for the whole day, they'll need something to do. Maybe he can find a deck of cards or something. He's about to open the drawer of the table near Juvia's bed when he hears a surprised cry.

Then, he hears a thud.

He immediately runs into the bathroom where he finds Juvia slumped against the ground. There's a puddle of water on the floor. As he walks towards her, he nearly slips and falls headfirst into the floor.

Fuck.

Juvia must've slipped in the same puddle.

He tries to contain his angry scream as he cradles her limp head in his lap. Her cheeks are clammy and she has no pulse.

She's dead.

She got killed.

By a puddle.

He lost Juvia to a fucking puddle.

As he strokes her hair, he prays to every single god and deity out there to end this thing. He can't keep up the traumatic experience of watching her die (even to a fucking puddle) for long without completely losing his mind.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

It comes to him on his sixth Tuesday.

The fortuneteller. This entire thing started after he and Juvia visited that bitch. And then there was that weird storm. Juvia even said it herself. _It didn't feel natural._

Obviously, she placed this curse on them. She was probably annoyed that he was being so rude and decided to take it out on him and Juvia. But why is Juvia the one getting the brunt of the punishment? It isn't fair. He was the one who was being an asshole to her. As he mulls over it, he decides that it is a pretty fitting punishment after all. Whenever Juvia dies, he can feel a huge part of himself dying as well. It's even worse than if it were him dying, himself. Juvia's death...hurts him so much more.

He's going to sort this out today. He's going to go to that stupid fair and demand that old lady to make everything normal again.

But he obviously can't bring Juvia along. The fair is full of dangerous things that might kill her. For fuck's sake, she died because she slipped on a fucking puddle of water yesterday. For all he knows, a stray clown might fall on her or she might trip on a pebble and knock her head against the ground.

She needs to stay here.

"Gray-sama?"

"What?" he gruffly says as he ties the blankets and belts and handkerchiefs around her wrists and then ties them against the bedframe.

"Juvia doesn't know what you are doing...but she thinks that this is really kinky," she says. Her cheeks are tinted with pink and she has a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

He briefly looks at her and the way her hair falls against her face and the way the strap of her dress is slipping from her shoulders. The dress is really low-cut, he realizes for the first time, and it gives a really ample view of her breasts.

Not that he's staring.

(Seriously. He's not.)

Shit. Why can he feel the spot below his belt tightening? And why did he just take his shirt off?

He can feel his cheeks flushing. "Just trust me, okay? This is for your own good."

"But—''

"I have to go to town today to deal with some business. And I need you to stay in this room while I'm gone. You can't leave, okay? No matter what," Gray firmly says as he finishes tying her up. He hurriedly puts his shirt back on.

"But Gray-sama, Juvia doesn't understand why she needs to be tied up!" she says in slight protest.

He's tying her up because he doesn't trust her enough to wander in their room without getting herself killed. Little things can kill her. It is best if she stays tied up in her bed, where nothing will be able to kill her. That way, she'll be safe and away from harm while he goes out to deal with that fortuneteller. But he obviously can't tell her that.

"Trust me. Please." He sounds so serious that the dazed look in Juvia's eyes immediately disappears.

"Gray-sama...you're not telling Juvia something," she says as her brows furrow.

"It's just...it's hard to explain. But it will all be okay soon." He leans forward and gingerly cups her cheek. "I promise."

"Gray-sama—''

"I have to go," he gruffly says when he realizes how long his hand is lingering against her cheek.

He stands up and gives her one last look before walking out of the door. It takes him about thirty minutes before he manages to get to the fair. He tears past all the other tents, trying to find the one where the fortuneteller is. He can feel his heart pounding against his chest. He has to fix this. If he doesn't...He thickly swallows. He can't go through one more day with Juvia dying.

He just can't.

When he gets to spot where the fortuneteller's tent is, it is empty.

The knot in his stomach tightens.

Where the fuck is she?

He wildly looks around and moves from tent to tent, poking his head inside as he tries to look for her. But he doesn't see her in any of the tents.

She isn't here.

He grabs an acrobat who is passing by him and says, "Oi! Where's the fortuneteller?"

The acrobat blinks at him. "Fortuneteller?"

"The one that used to be in a tent over there," he says as he points in the direction of her tent.

The acrobat gives him a confused look. "I'm sorry sir, but you must be mistaken. There's no fortunteller in this fair."

"What?"

"There is no fortuneteller in this fair," the acrobat repeats.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I just talked to her six days ago—I mean yesterday! I just talked to her yesterday!" Gray says, frustration creeping up his voice.

The acrobat gives him an odd look. "I don't know what you are talking about sir. We don't have fortunetellers employed in this fair."

It takes him about thirty seconds before the words register in his ears. There is no fortunteller. She isn't here.

Bitch.

She left. She left and made it seem as if she's never even been here. How the hell is he supposed to find her now?

Gray sinks to the ground and buries his face into his hands. How is he going to stop this? He furrows his brows as he tries to remember their conversation. She must've said something about this curse. Anything that will help him figure out to break it. He presses his fingers against his temples as he tries to grope his mind for any detail about his encounter with the fortuneteller that might help him.

She said something about flaws.

His greatest flaw to be specific.

The only way to stop the time loop is to learn from his mistake. Whatever it is.

He knows that she had told it to him, word for word. Hell, he's pretty sure that she even told him how he was supposed to overcome it. But the fucked up thing is, he can't remember his greatest flaw. These past few days (or day), he's been so stressed from seeing Juvia die again and again that he had completely forgotten everything that the fortuneteller had told him. Him not properly listening to the old lady probably didn't help.

He groans. How is he ever going to fix this?

He stands up and squares his shoulders. He can do this. He can stop this time loop. He'll just have to figure out what his mistake is. But right now his mind is drawing blank. All he can think about is the feel of Juvia's pale skin against his hand when she is limp and lifeless. He's going nowhere.

He shakes his head and sighs. He'll just have to go back to the hotel and sleep through this. Then, he can wake up and start over with a fresh mind tomorrow.

He walks over to the hotel and tries to be as relaxed as possible. If this is a loop, then he still has all the time in the world. It doesn't matter if she dies because she'll be alive again the next day. No big deal. He can keep on repeating the same day until he figures out how to break the loop.

(Still, a part of him knows that he will never able to handle seeing Juvia die for the seventh time. He won't be able to do it. Not anymore.)

When he enters the hotel lobby and sees the panicked looks on the faces of the bellboys and staff, a nasty feeling starts circulating at the pit of his stomach. Medics and healers are encircling the place everywhere.

Oh, fuck.

What now?

"Um...excuse me? What's going on?" Gray says as he approaches one of the bellboys. Every muscle in his body is tensing.

"A young woman just died today in our restaurant. She choked on the food she had ordered and we couldn't get the medics in here on time," the bellboy answers in a rattled voice.

Gray tries to keep his voice as even as possible. "The woman...what's her name?"

"Wait...let me check..." the bellboy says as he scurries off to ask one of the healers.

Gray takes a deep breath. He's probably panicking over nothing. The woman might not be Juvia for all he knows. In fact, he's sure that it's not Juvia. He tied her up in her bed for fuck's sake. It can't possibly be her.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Gray says, his voice cracking as he faces the bellboy.

"Juvia Lockser. She came in the restaurant with belts and handkerchiefs tied around her wrists, looking annoyed as hell. Must've been involved in something real kinky," the bellboy says as he clucks his tongue.

Damn it.

She fucking left the room. Even when he told her not to.

"It's pretty sad though. She seemed like a really nice lady. We're still waiting for her boyfriend. Gray...Fullbuster is his name, I think," the bellboy continues, oblivious to the horrified expression on Gray's face.

Gray clenches his fist and counts to ten. This will all be over soon. Tomorrow will be another day. Juvia isn't dead. Not really.

"Sir? Sir?"

But why does he feel as if his insides have been torn apart?

"Sir? Are you okay?"

Frost starts spreading across the room again.

Somehow, no matter how many times he has seen her die, the pain doesn't ever diminish.

* * *

"When I'm tired and thinking cold. I hide in my music, forget the day...and dream of a girl I used to know...I closed my eyes and she slipped away...She slipped awaaaay..."

He's a man on a mission today.

He won't let her die. Not today. Not again.

He greets her a good morning before hurrying towards the bathroom. As he showers, he tries to think of what that the old lady had told him. His greatest flaw was something about being closed off. Yes, he's sure about that. His inability to deal with his feelings can be problematic. But how can he overcome that flaw?

He really wants this to end but he doesn't even know how he's supposed to go about fixing this entire mess.

He sighs, steps out of the shower and pulls a shirt on. Maybe he should stop thinking about this. He should probably relax today and figure things out tomorrow. He can't think properly if his mind is burnt and frazzled.

As his hand grips the doorknob, he chest suddenly tightens in anticipation. Oh, god. What is he going to see when he opens this door? Maybe Juvia has fallen off the window while he was taking a bath. Or maybe she accidentally stabbed herself with the hotel pen.

He quickly opens the door and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees her sitting by the dresser, pinning a lock of her hair with a clip.

She's okay.

She's still here.

He awkwardly clears his throat and says, "Juvia?"

She turns to look at him, her eyes crinkling as she smiles at him. "Yes, Gray-sama?"

"Um...you know...I...I was thinking...maybe we should ride the train that leaves in the evening," he says in a hesitant voice.

Her brows pull together in confusion. "But...but why?"

"I really like this town and I was thinking that it would be a shame that we didn't visit as much of it as we could have. We should check it out. At least for a little while," he mumbles.

Juvia nods her head and tucks a few strands of her hair behind her ear. She happily says, "Sure! Juvia doesn't mind at all!"

He grins back at her and the two of them head towards the hotel lobby to pay for their room. As they walk down the stairs, Gray pulls her close to the side before the man can bump her. Juvia gives a flustered squeak as she presses up against his chest and it takes her several minutes before she manages to regain her composure. Gray steadies her and carefully takes her hand in his.

He isn't going to let her out of his sight.

"So...what do you wanna do first?" Gray asks her.

Juvia doesn't answer him, her eyes dazed and dreamlike, as she stares at their knotted fingers.

"Um...Juvia? Oi!"

"Huh?" Juvia says, finally focusing her attention on him.

"Where do you wanna go first?" he asks again.

Juvia shrugs. "Oh, Juvia is fine with anything. Just spending the day with Gray-sama makes her very happy!"

He grins at her but he can feel his insides tensing. He still hasn't broken the loop. Which means that she'll die today.

"Can we get shaved ice?" she suddenly asks him. "Juvia feels a little hot today."

"Yes. Of course we can," Gray says.

They both wander around the town before stopping by a shop that sells shaved ice. Gray buys the biggest bowl so that they can share. Ignoring Juvia's protests, he hands the jewels over to the saleslady, takes the bowl and sets it on a table outside.

"Gray-sama didn't have to pay for everything!" Juvia says as she takes a seat.

"It's not a big deal. It's my treat," he shrugs.

She gives him a soft smile as she takes a spoon and scoops up some of the shaved ice. "Thank you Gray-sama."

"Sure," he says as she shoves the spoon into her mouth.

After a few seconds of silence, he says, "Juvia...what...what would you say is my greatest flaw?"

She doesn't even take the time to mull over her answer.

"You're perfect Gray-sama," she declares as she scoops up another spoonful of shaved ice.

He gives a frustrated growl as he rubs a dry hand through his face. "That's not a real answer, Juvia."

"Well that's what Juvia thinks," she calmly responds.

"But you can't just say that!"

"Why not?" she says as she licks her spoon.

"Because nobody is perfect!" he retorts.

"Well...when you love someone, that person will always be perfect to you, no matter how many flaws that person has," Juvia says with a nonchalant shrug.

He can feel his insides warming up and he nervously shifts in his place. How can she be so casual about saying her feelings about him? How can she be so casual about talking about her feelings at all?

He clears his throat and looks at the ground as he desperately tries to think of something else to say.

"Juvia?"

"Hm?"

"If...if you could spend your last day with anyone in the world who would you spend it with?"

"You of course," she says without a hint of hesitation.

"Eh? Why me?"

He blinks at her in surprise. He doesn't understand why anyone would want to spend their last day with him. He isn't a very interesting person.

He stiffens when she leans forward and wraps her hand around his. She laces their fingers together and the warmth that's spreading inside him grows. He tries to be as calm as he possibly can when he looks up to meet her eyes.

"Gray-sama was kind to Juvia even when she was the enemy. Gray-sama took Juvia's rain away. Gray-sama is the reason why she is in Fairy Tail and why she is happy, why she is no longer sad. Gray-sama has done all of these things for Juvia, things that not even Gajeel-kun was able to completely do," she says as she gives his hand a small squeeze.

He can feel himself blushing furiously.

But he likes this feeling. He likes the feeling of her hand in his. He suddenly desperately wishes that he can stop time from moving forward, that he can shoot the clocks, that he can stay in this moment forever.

"So Juvia cannot imagine spending her last day with anyone else," she says.

He doesn't know how she does it, how she can be so blunt about her feelings. He isn't good with his feelings—he can't even talk about them without freaking out and feeling uncomfortable and awkward. He envies her a little, for being able to understand exactly how she feels.

But what he feels about her is clear enough. It's been clear to him for a long time now. She's important to him. She means something to him in a way that is completely different from what he feels for any other member of the guild. He doesn't know what it is yet, but the one thing he's sure of right now is that she's the one person in his life that he can't stand to lose.

_If you don't tell people important to you how you really feel about them, you might lose them forever and it will be too late._

Shit. Is this what that fortuneteller wanted him to do? To tell Juvia all that stuff he's been thinking of about her, just now?

He suddenly grows unbearably hot.

He can't do that.

It's too awkward.

"Well...um...Juvia...uh..." His tongue feels like lead.

He has to do this. It's the only way to break the time loop.

"Yes, Gray-sama?" Juvia says as she leans forward.

"Ugh..." He thickly swallows. "It's nice that you would spend your last day with me."

Lame.

Very lame.

"Oh. Juvia wouldn't have it any other way," she cheerfully says.

He needs to tell her. To really tell her.

Before he can respond, the ground suddenly starts shaking. Someone screams "Earthquake!" and he and Juvia quickly duck underneath the table. Oh no. This can't be happening. Not again. He can feel the knot in his stomach growing tighter. He already knew that this will happen. So why is he so upset? The ground continues to violently shake and the table they are hiding under rattles.

"Juvia—''

"Gray-sama! Look out!" she screeches. She places both of her palms on his chest and attempts to push him away but he grabs both of her wrists and resolutely stays in his place. She stares at him in complete confusion.

"Gray-sama! The building—''

"_No_. You're not dying for me. Not this time," Gray says as a chunk of the building's roof falls on top of the table. The debris start caging them in. They are trapped. It will probably take just a few more debris before the table protecting them will topple and they will be crushed.

He doesn't let go of her hand.

He's never letting her go. Not this time. Not ever.

He leans forward and presses his forehead against hers. They are so close together that their noses are touching and the hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck are standing.

"Why did you do that?" she whispers, in a panicked tone.

He gives her a soft, subtle smile. "Isn't it obvious Juvia?"

"I should have told you this a long time ago." He winces as a piece of rock hits his head. He meets her eyes and sees how much warmth they contain. He tries to steel himself. He is surprisingly calm when he says it. "A life without you isn't worth living."

He leans forward and closes the space in between them

The table groans under the weight of the wreckage and the debris close in on them.

* * *

He wakes up with a jolt and a residual shudder.

Something is ringing. He looks around and tries to blink the grogginess away. Didn't he just die?

His hands immediately fly to his chest. He feels solid, _alive_. But he's sure that he died. He felt the pain of being crushed by all of the building debris. He rubs his eyes and tries to make sense of his surroundings. Is he...in heaven?

But no, he can't be.

Heaven wouldn't have this goddamn ringing sound.

He blinks his eyes open and he tries to reign in his shock when he sees that it is his room. He's back in his apartment. How did he even get here? He turns to the side and sees that the ringing sound is coming from his alarm clock. He quickly shuts it off before sliding out of his bed. This doesn't make sense. Why is he back in his apartment? He should be buried under a pile of rubble right now, with Juvia—

Juvia.

She isn't here.

He can feel his veins icing over in fear.

He quickly pulls a shirt and some pants on before hurtling out of his apartment and into the guild. He doesn't exactly know what he's trying to do. All he knows is that he needs to see Juvia. Right now.

He bursts into the guild, panting. His eyes quickly sweep over the room, trying to look for the familiar head of blue hair.

She isn't here.

He turns around and sprints towards her apartment. He doesn't stop running, his mind completely focused on getting to Juvia. He needs to see her. The feeling in his stomach will not go away unless he sees her. He moves past the guardian of her dorm, ignoring her cries of protests and hurtles across the hallways.

Finally, he gets to her room. He pounds his fists against her door and screams, "Juvia! Oi! Juvia!"

When the door opens and he sees her bright smile, the grief and anxiety and pain that has been building up inside him comes rushing out.

"Juvia," he squeaks.

"Gray-sama?" she says, clearly worried at his rattled appearance.

"I...I..." He takes a deep breath and rolls his shoulders. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Of course," Juvia says. "We toured around the town before taking the evening train."

"But...but what about the earthquake?" Gray sputters.

"What earthquake?" Juvia frowns.

It didn't happen.

Or it did happen and she doesn't remember it.

Which means that she doesn't remember that they—

He flushes.

Well, that's good.

Saves them from an awkward talk.

"Gray-sama? Are you okay? Do you...do you need a glass of water?" Juvia asks, concerned.

"No...no I'm fine," Gray quickly says. "I just...I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Juvia says, curious.

"I don't feel the same way about you," he blurts out.

Shit.

Shit. What the fuck did he just say?

"Okay," Juvia calmly responds.

He blinks at her, surprised at her reaction. He figures that she would have been crying or screaming at him by now.

"What?" he sputters.

"It doesn't matter to Juvia, how you feel about her. It doesn't change her feelings for you," Juvia responds.

"I mean...that's not what I meant. I just..." He clears his throat. He scratches the back of his neck and awkwardly shuffles in his place. When he starts talking, the words stumble against each other. "Juvia...I just...you know life's really short and...and...we don't know what's going to happen next. And...and I just want you to know...before it's too late...that...that I don't feel the same way about you. But you're important to me and stuff. And I really care about you and you make me feel so...weird and awkward and stupid all at the same time and I don't really know what it means. I don't think I'm ready to figure out what it means. All I know is that you...you mean something—''

"You don't have to say it Gray-sama," Juvia gently interrupts as she places a hand on his wrist.

He stares at her and tries to regulate his breathing. Juvia's face is flushed and he thinks that his is too.

"Eh!?"

"Juvia knows that Gray-sama doesn't like talking about these things. But he doesn't need to say anything for Juvia to know that he cares about her. Juvia already knows that," she giggles. She looks up at him from beneath her lashes. "Juvia knows that you are not yet ready. She doesn't want you to feel uncomfortable. You don't have to say anything until...until...you feel like you can. But you don't ever have to worry. Juvia knows that you care for her."

"But still, I wanted you to know...coming from me...how important you are to me," he mumbles.

"Juvia is glad that you decided to tell her," she says. "And Juvia doesn't mind you being so uncertain. She understands, Gray-sama. But you can be rest assured that no matter what, no matter what your feelings are for me...whether it be as a nakama or...or..something more..."

They both redden.

He stiffens when she leans forward and whispers in his ear, "I will always love you, Gray-sama."

"O-okay," he squeaks out, embarrassed at the close contact.

For a few minutes, the two of them stand there in complete silence.

The words come out of his mouth before he can stop them. "Do you wanna...go get some caramade franks?"

She smiles at him. "Juvia would like that."

She steps forward and closes the door from behind her. As the two of them walk across the hallways, he tries to banish the uncomfortable heat that's spreading from the base of his neck all the way to his face. He looks down and tries to avoid Juvia's gaze. They pass by the lobby where the dormitory guardian loudly berates both him and Juvia.

As they are walking down the steps, he sees her from across the street.

The fortuneteller.

She gives him a toothless smile as she waves at him and waggles her brows at Juvia.

Gray glares at her and throws her the finger.

Bitch.

But as Juvia loops her arm around his and smiles up at him, he decides that maybe the fortuneteller did something right after all.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **To those of you who are familiar with _Supernatural_, you may have noticed that the overall theme and plot is shamelessly based on/borrowed from the episode _Mystery Spot_. Also, this story is extremely similar with _Groundhog Day._ If it seems familiar to you, then it's because _it is._ The song Juvia keeps singing does not belong to me either. It is _More Than a Feeling_ by Boston. The quote, as stated, is not mine as well.

**Author's Note:** Before I move on, I'd just like to thank the people who reviewed my other fics (Third Wheel and The Secrets That We Keep) and who added them to their favorites. Thank you very much! :))

Anyways, I was inspired to write this fic after listening to Boston's More Than a Feeling. For some reason it made me think of the Supernatural episode and Gruvia. I originally planned on Gray dying but then I thought: We already know how Juvia would react. In tumblr I kept reading all these theories of Juvia dying (because of the foreshadowing in Chapter 366) so it made me wonder about how Gray would react if Juvia really died. Also, I saw the quote by John Powell and I thought that it fit Gray so much!

I'm so sorry if this is super long. I actually planned on writing a shorter fic for Gruvia week, but sadly I couldn't think of any fic that would relate to the prompts given. I swear, my next fic will be shorter than 5,000 words. Hopefully, I can control myself by then xD I tried breaking these into chapters but it seemed kind of weird. If it's too much trouble to read it in one go, please tell me. I'll find a way to split it up.

Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think of the story! Feedback is always welcome :)


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